Post Tripura victory, BJP ally IPFT demands separate state for tribals

 A day after winning Tripura elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) has put the demand for a separate state for the tribals back on the table.

Party president NC Debbarma told ANI, "The elections are a separate issue, our demand has for years been to create a separate state for tribal people of Tripura. We are hopeful that the Central Government will form a high-level monitoring committee to look into our demand."Debbarma further said that he wanted the core issues of the tribal people to be addressed on priority.

"Development activities are a regular exercise, whichever political party may be in power, so the demand will continue", he added. The BJP and its ally on Saturday scripted history by ending the 25-year reign of the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) with a two-thirds majority in the Tripura legislative assembly elections. Debbarma defeated the CPI(M)'s Ramendra Debbarma in Takarjal constituency. The IPFT has been fighting for a separate state for tribals since its inception in the year 1997.

Newly elected MLAs of the BJP and its ally IPFT in Tripura will meet here on March 6 to elect their leader, state BJP president Biplab Deb said here today. The BJP has 35 MLAs and the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) has eight. The elections in 59 seats of the 60-member Assembly were held on February 18. Polling was countermanded in one seat due to the death of a CPI(M) candidate.